


Operation: Starscream Got Laid

by espioc



Series: Operation [2]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Depression, Humor, Its still a romcom, Lingerie, M/M, Moody Seekers, Self-Esteem Issues, Wheeljack is tired but loving, a sprinkle of angst, accidental mechpreg, but not as good, gestation chamber as a mod, mentions of sticky sexual interface, starscream is unhyappy about his predicament, they probably wont get to do it though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-27
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:07:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22428322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/espioc/pseuds/espioc
Summary: Sequel to Operation: Get Starscream Laid.Starscream trying to deal with the trials and tribulations involved in carrying. Wheeljack dealing with them right along with him.
Relationships: Starscream/Wheeljack
Series: Operation [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1614214
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	1. First Trimester

**Author's Note:**

> This one isn't as funny so far, but it's still a happy fic! I promise, even though Starscream is sort of unhappy.

The clock on the wall was going to drive Starscream crazy.

He tried to concern himself with squeezing Wheeljack's hand, but that wasn't enough of a distraction. The clock ticked away, not loud enough to be obnoxious, but not quiet enough to go unheard. It was like a thought in the back of the head that nagged and prodded until it drove a bot mad. Starscream's wings twitched in time with the clicking.

"You okay?" Wheeljack said softly, squeezing his hand.

"Fine," Starscream ground out between his teeth. He stared at the object of his ire. The rest of the room was pleasant. Powder blue walls, clean chairs, the whisper of magazine pages.

"Really? It looks like yer trying to burn a hold in the wall."

Starscream jaw clenched. "I'm a little stressed."

Wheeljack followed Starscream's gaze to the clock on the wall. "I see."

Wheeljack stood up and crossed the room. Starscream's irritation was replaced with curiosity. He watched his lover place his knee on a chair and reach up to grab the clock on the wall. He flipped it around and opened it up. A little screwdriver popped out of his wrist, which he used to mess around with the clock's insides.

Starscream looked around the waiting room. No one seemed to be paying attention, not even the receptionist. When Wheeljack was finished he replaced the clock in the wall and returned to Starscream.

The clicking was gone, but the clock was still running.

"Yer stressed enough," Wheeljack muttered. "That's about the only thing I could do to help."

Starscream gave him a kiss on the head. "You came with me. That's a big help."

"A'course I did. How could I not?" Wheeljack wiggled in his seat. "Frankly, I'm kinda excited."

For the first time that morning, Starscream smiled. "To see your sparkling on a monitor for the first time?"

"Yeah. Ya know, get it confirmed by a doctor. That it's, uh, really happening."

Starscream squeezed his hand. "That you're going to be a sire."

Wheeljack nodded. "Yeah," he smiled. "Yeah. I'm gonna be a sire." His smile dropped. "Oh my God I'm gonna be a sire." He whispered to himself.

A nurse stepped through the door. "Starscream?"

The exam room was not dissimilar to the waiting room. The walls were darker, but it was equally clean. There were pictures and diagrams of valves and spikes and sparks on the wall. Starscream cringed at the image of a protoform growing in a gestation chamber, and the spark descending into the chamber to give it life.

"I am so glad I don't have a gestation," he muttered out of the side of his mouth. He looked at Wheeljack. "How come you never got a gestation?"

Wheeljack shrugged. "Just never did it. It’s like a mod. I mean, it’s a super popular mod, pretty much anyone you meet has one, but it’s still a thing you gotta go out and get, ya know? I wouldn’t be against it if I considered it, though.”

"I never understood the appeal."

"They say it creates a deeper bond than just spark to sentio metalico, but I don't know how much I believe that."

"As a Cybertronian, Cybertronians aren't responsible enough to have the power to create life straight from their own bodies. Especially not little helpless blobs of life."

"We do have the power to create life straight from our bodies."

"I know, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I guess." Wheeljack rubbed Starscream's thigh. "How you feelin'?"

Starscream took a deep vent. "Nervous. But excited. More than I thought I'd be."

The doctor stepped into the office. "Starscream?"

Starscream sat up a little straighter. He shook the doctor's hand.

"Transaxle, I’ll be your physician today.” He looked at Wheeljack and shook his hand. “And you are-”

“The partner.”

Transaxle smiled. “Ah. Moral support, alright.” He pulled up his stool or sat down. “Okay, so we’re here to check on a sparkling, right?”

Starscream nodded. “That’s right.”

“Great. Well, early congratulations. We’re just gonna take a few tests, make sure it’s definitely what we think it is, get the signature, see how well it’s developing, all of that. Is this your first time carrying?”

“First time.”

“We’ll probably go over some of the self care basics then. Pretty standard stuff, no drinking, no smoking. We recommend frequent spark merges with the sire or with a partner, but we’ll cover that more later. Right now I want to run a few tests.” Transaxle stood up. “Are you ready?”

“I think so.”

“Great. Just lay back for me here. We’re going to take a quick full body scan, then we’ll take a look at your spark, okay?”

“Alright.”

Starscream sat back in the examination chair. Transaxle fiddled with a control panel.

“I’m going to lower the chair down, and the scanner will come down from the ceiling.” He handed Starscream a heavy eye mask. “If you’d put those on for me, please, this will just take a minute, you might feel a slight tingle, but no discomfort, alright?”

Starscream nodded. The scanner above hummed to life. A green bean slowly traveled up and down Starscream’s body, going from the top of his head, to the top of his knees.

“Okay, Starscream, you can take the eye protection off.”

Starscream remained laying down. Transaxle stepped over him, putting on a pair of gloves.

“Okay, I’m gonna take a look at your spark. If you’d open up for me.”

Starscream’s jaw clenched. He activated his chest plate and let it slide open. Transaxle leaned in with a series of spectacles over one eye. With two fingers he inspected the lining of the spark chamber and the outer edge.

“There’s a piece of the chamber missing, can you feel where my finger is?”

Starscream nodded. “I am aware.”

“Have you ever had any issues with it?”

“No.”

“How long has that been going on?”

“I’ve had it for four million years. It was done on purpose.”

“Ah. Okay, I see.” The doctor didn’t comment further. He moved his attention to the newspark. “So I see the newspark. Just looking at it, it looks healthy. There’s no flickering, rotation seems normal.” He stood up straight and grabbed a tool from a nearby table. “Let me just see if I can take its signature real quick, and then you can close up.”

Transaxle held the device over Starscream’s spark. The device beeped as soon as the new-spark rotated to the front. Transaxle pulled the device away and examined the readings.

“You can close up. Let me sit you up here.”

As Starscream’s chest plate closed, the chair started to sit up. Transaxle transfered data from the scanner to the datapad in his hand.

“Okay,” he muttered, jotting down a few notes. “So everything looks good. It looks like the spark and protoform are about a month along. I understand that you’ve been having morning sickness, that’s normal.” He shrugged. “It could pass within the next couple weeks, it could go on all the way until the protoform is born. There’s no way to know. We can give you some medication to deal with the nausea if you need it.”

Starscream furrowed his brow. He exchanged a glance with Wheeljack.

“I don’t understand,” Starscream said. “What protoform are we talking about?”

Transaxle paused. “Yours.”

Starscream frowned. “But you said it was a month along.”

Transaxle glanced between Starscream and Wheeljack. “Yes,” he said slowly. “Does that sound right?”

“No, I just don’t understand. I mean- yes. It should be a month, I just don’t know what protoform you mean.”

Transaxle furrowed his brow. “The one in your gestation.”

Starscream chuckled, shaking his head. “Oh no. No. There must be a mistake, I don’t have a gestation.”

Transaxle pursed his lip, staring at his datapad. “Uh- hm.”

“You must have the wrong file.”

“Nope. I just took this scan. It is undoubtedly you.”

“It can’t be me, I don’t have a gestation. You have to get a gestation, it’s like a mod, right? I never got one.” Starscream’s wings rattled on his back, hiking up to full height.

Transaxle nodded. “It is similar to a mod, yes. They’re actually pretty standard now, almost every frame comes with a gestation chamber.”

Starscream’s plating flared. “What!?” He screeched. “What do you mean new frames come with gestation!?”

“Starscream, please-”

Starscream leaped off the berth. “No, this is bullshit! I didn’t ask for that, they can’t just give you something like that without telling you!”

“I’m assuming you had a frame change recently.”

“Yes,” Starscream snapped. “But no one told me it came with a fragging gestation. I want you to take it out.”

“I can do that, but not at the moment, the protoform is already growing.”

“So? So what? I have the spark, what does the protoform matter?”

“Well, here, if you want to just calm down for a second, I’ll show you.”

“I’ll calm down as soon as I sue the stupid place that gave me the stupid body.”

Transaxle brought something up on his datapad and turned it around so they could see. “If you’d look here,” he pointed to the connection between the gestation and the spark chamber. “So right now, the way your body works, your gestation is directly linked to your spark chamber. Your spark can survive without a gestation, obviously, but at this point in time your new-spark’s energy is electricity attached to, not only your spark, but the chamber. So that when the time comes the chamber can draw it forward and put it in the body. If we take out the protoform, or moreso, the entire chamber at this point in time, then we run the risk of extinguishing the new-spark.”

Starscream studied the diagram. “Who ever invented such a stupid way of doing things,” he spat.

Transaxle turned the datapad back around. “We can remove the gestation right after the sparkling is born.”

Starscream plopped back down. He sneered to himself, muttering something no one else could hear.

“Wherever you went to get a new frame, it probably said somewhere in the paperwork everything the frames they offered came with. Standard mods.”

“I don’t care,” Starscream hissed. He got off the chair. “I’m done talking. I don’t want to know anymore. I don’t care. I’m leaving.”

Transaxle let him go. “Alright.”

Wheeljack hungback for a second. “Uh, thanks doc. We’ll probably be back.” He then made chase. By the time he reached Starscream, he was already outside, pacing in front of the building. Wheeljack stayed a safe distance away.

“I didn’t want a protoform, I didn’t ask for a protoform, I didn’t even know I had a fragging gestation, fuck this.” Starscream stopped pace. “Fuck all of this. Primus, I am so angry!” He screamed. His wings and shoulder bounced with heavy huffs. He took a deep vent and went stiff. “Primus, this is stupid.” he whipped around the face Wheeljack. “You have no idea how angry I am.”

Wheeljack took a few steps forward. “I can take a good guess.”

“I’m sorry I stormed out, but this is all too much.”

“I know. It’s very unexpected.”

Starscream’s expression dropped. “I don’t want to lose the new-spark.”

Wheeljack slipped his hands into Starscream’s. “There will be other new-sparks. If you’re not ready for this, it’s okay. We can start over.”

Starscream’s face scrunched. “I don’t want to start over. I want this sparkling.” He bowed forward and rested his head on Wheeljack’s shoulder.

“It’s alright,” Wheeljack cooed, rubbing between Starscream’s wings. “We can take the time to work through it.”

Starscream sniffled. “I bought condoms.”

Wheeljack furrowed his brow. “What?”

“I bought condoms.” Starscream’s head came up. “I had a random overwhelming urge to buy condoms so I bought condoms,” he cried.

“Oh. Okay. Well, um, we can use them after the sparkling arrives I guess.”

Starscream took a deep vent and wiped his eyes. “I’m probably going to get it removed, so who cares after that. Urgh-” He clenched his fists. “Why is my subconscious more responsible than my active brain?”

“Your subconscious isn’t fragging me.”

“Damn, you’re right. Magic spike over here, making me lose my mind.”

Wheeljack chuckled. “I’m irresistible.”

“Especially in the moment.”

“See, now we can be mad at Thundercracker and Skywarp for getting us drunk.”

That prompted a smile. “No,” Starscream sighed. “This is on me. I probably didn’t read everything I should have. But how the frag was I supposed to know? Gestation chambers weren’t always standard mods, and how many times have I changed my frame? Probably dozens.”

Wheeljack nodded. “They probably could have made it easier, but it’s just so ingrained in the culture now, ya know?”

“I know.”

“One of the only reasons I don’t got one is because I haven’t gotten my frame updated.”

“I know,” Starscream groaned. “I feel stupid for not paying more attention.” He huffed. “Nothing I can do about it now. Next time. If there is a next time.”

“We’ll see.” Wheeljack wrapped his arms around Starscream. “How you feelin’ now?”

“Frustrated. Angry. I just want to go home. We can make another appointment.”

“Okay, let’s go home then. Reel it all in. Settle down for the day.”

They returned to Wheeljack’s house. Instead of going to bed Starscream went to the kitchen and got himself a piece of cake. Knowing that he didn’t have a stomach bug made eating easier. No matter what he ate, he was throwing up in the morning, so he ate whatever he wanted. Most of his food came from Wheeljack’s house, considering Starscream’s one room apartment had nothing but a mini fridge. There was dry food in the cupboard, but it was mostly snacks. All of which he went through within a few days.

“This sparkling is going to eat me out of house and home.” Starscream groused, stabbing at his cake slice.

Wheeljack sat down with his own piece. “Guess we know why you’ve been so hungry.”

“I anticipated being hungry. It comes with the territory, sparkling or not. Doesn’t it? I don’t actually know, I haven’t read anything on sparklings since I popped off the assembly line.”

Wheeljack shrugged. “Eh. Sorta. When it’s just the spark your body craves pure energon, because the spark is made of pure energy, ya know. But when yer growing a protoform you crave more solid food, like you been doin’, because you gotta build something physical.”

Starscream furrowed his brow. “You seem to know a lot about this slag.”

“I get bored.”

Starscream smirked. “So you research Cybertronian reproduction?”

“Not on purpose.”

Starscream nodded. “Your life sounds exciting.” He plucked a piece of cake off his fork. “So how was your meeting the other day?”

“Same as usual.”

“Boring?”

“Boring as all hell. You’d think running a toy company would be a lot more fun.”

“Not really. Business is business no matter what shape it is. All paperwork and formalities, yada yada yada, I never liked it. I was more into politics. Much more exciting.”

Wheeljack swiped invisible crumbs off the counter space in front of him. “I dunno. I think they’re pretty similar. Ya gotta pretend to like people you hate, host parties, please assholes. Same kinda deal.”

“I always liked the rush of the competition. You know, getting one up on your opponent. And power. I did love power.”

Wheeljack frowned. “Yer not usually very keen on talking about this. You feelin’ okay?”

“No,” Starscream sneered, picking at the frosting of the cake. “When I get as angry as I am I turn into a very stale version of myself.”

“I get it. Kinda stop caring?”

“Yes. I just drop right off. And it’s especially hard right now because, like I said, in prison I had outlets, but out here I don’t. All I have is work, and the park, but those aren’t really outlets. They’re just things. I can feed the birds all I want, but I’ll still feel angry. I want to not feel so much pent up energy.”

“I get it. We should look into it, somethin’ fer you ta do. Something therapeutic, kinda. What sort of things did you do in prison to let off some steam?”

Starscream pushed his plate away. “Boxing. Card games. Therapy. We did art sometimes.”

“You box? You wanna box? I can set up a studio right here in the house.”

Starscream furrowed his brow. “Really?”

“Yeah, I got so much room I ain’t usin’. I could set up a whole workshop for you, no problem. You could do whatever you want in there.”

“Really? You would do that for me?”

“Yeah. I wanna help you feel comfortable. Especially now.”

Starscream got out of his stool and walked around the counter. He wrapped Wheeljack’s head in a hug. “I appreciate you.”

Wheeljack hugged back. “So are you feelin’ better?”

“I want to be, but I’m finding it difficult.”

Wheeljack took him by the hips and held him away so they could see each other. “Well how about this. Let’s wander around the house and start lookin’ fer yer space.”

“Can I take a nap first?”

“A’course. Do whatever you need.”

Starscream gave him a kiss on the head. “You’re too good for me.”

“Nah.” Wheeljack’s hands traveled up to grip Starscream’s abdomen. “It’s the least I can do,” his thumbs rubbed little circles into Starscream’s non existent belly. “Considerin’ I’m partially responsible for this.”

Starscream rolled his eyes, placing his hands over Wheeljack’s. “Don’t get all sappy on me yet. I’m not even showing.”

“Ya know this is kinda exciting. New. Kinda sexy. Knowin’ yer carrying my sparkling.”

“Ulgh, don’t call me sexy.” Starscream stepped away. “I definitely don’t feel sexy.” He turned on a heel and walked out of the kitchen. “I’m going to take a nap. I’ll see you in- I dunno, a few years probably.”

Wheeljack chuckled.

* * *

Starscream ran his talon along the book edges. He was tempted to knock them all off the shelf to let off some steam, but he knew that would only cause a mess and not let off enough steam to be worth it. He selected a few promising titles and tucked them under his arm. At only two months, he was already feeling his armour shifting to accommodate the incoming load.

It had taken a month for Wheeljack to convince Starscream that they should start preparing for their little blessing's arrival. Make hospital plans, and doctors appointments, and a baby’s room in Wheeljack’s house. After a long drawn out conversation, or at least something similar to a conversation, Starscream caved. He promised Wheeljack that he would get the ball rolling, starting with how the frag to take care of himself and the sparkling. So Starscream was taking some time after work to pick up some literature on the subject.

Everything looked dumb. All of the titles were so preppy and happy and concerned for the carrier’s health. They all had bright covers with either a stupid bot looking smug and crossing his arms, or a couple trying to look happy over a protruding belly, or even, occassionally, a fake sparkling.

Some of the books were ”Such-and-Such: Cybertronian Edition.” Suggesting they had originally been written by something non-cybertronian. A small amount of research online told Starscream that gestation chambers were introduced 700 years ago in an attempt to battle dwindling cybertronian populations. As soon as the concept was created the squishy little humans jumped on the bandwagon, and offered everything they knew about growing small versions of themselves.

The last thing Starscream wanted to listen to in regards to his own health, was a human. But unfortunately they had him beat when it came to how-to-grow-a-small-person. So he relented his animosity for a day and picked books labeled “Cybertronian Edition.”

In the section with all of the sparkling books there was a table that tried to make itself look important. The book it was presenting was placed on a pedestal and surrounded by endless editions of itself. There were colorful signs reading “Number #1 best seller” and “Trusted for over 700 years.”

Starscream picked up a copy and read the title.

“What to Expect when You’re Expecting.”

“Trying?”

Starscream nearly dropped the book. Someone was addressing him.

“What?”

“Are you and your partner trying?” Asked the random bot who Starscream didn’t know.

Starscream looked around for anyone else the bot might be talking to. But no one else was around. “Uh. No. We’re already there.”

The mech was big. Probably a whole head taller than Starscream, with a belly to boot. Starscream didn’t have to guess why he was in this section looking for sparkling books.

“Pretty early along then.”

Starscream unconsciously placed his books over his abdomen, his eyes locked on the other mechs bump. “Yes.”

“Well, congratulations. Is this your first?”

Starscream’s wing twitched. He wanted this mech to be talking to anyone else. Anyone who wasn’t him. Couldn’t he have picked some other poor soul in the baby section? Someone more relatable? With a similar physique and equally deep voice.

“Yes,” Starscream said, thrumming his fingers on the back of the book. “Sort of unexpected.”

“Ah, I get it. Yeah, my first was a surprise. Second and third, though, not so sure I can make that excuse anymore,” the mech laughed at his own joke. “My advice? Start thinking of names now. My first sparkling went a whole week without a name.”

“Oh,” Starscream started backing away. “Okay.” He turned on a heel and rushed away from the bot, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. A heat rose in his cheeks, his head sunk between his shoulders and his wings fanned out to deter any incoming attacks. Starscream paid for his books and left.

Was this going to become a thing? Would random people come up and talk to him? When Starscream got out of prison he tried to live a nice peaceful life. But one thing he would never get used to was random people talking to him. Not only did he find it rude, but it was so unnecessary. Starscream wanted to be friendly, but he certainly wasn’t going to act that kind of friendly. Friendly as in smiles and says ‘please and thank you’ to the person behind the counter, and leave nice tips, and complain about traffic jams with the person complaining right next to him.

Not start up a conversation in the middle of a bookstore about baby names.

Starscream sat down on his bed, realizing that yes, people would begin starting random conversations with him in public. They would ask him about names, and how far along he was, and other things that he didn’t have an answer for! The insanity.

Starscream picked up his phone and dialed the love of his life. (Who was labeled in his phone Love Of My Life)

“Wheeljack? Someone tried to talk to me at the book store.”

“...Okay?”

“He tried to talk to me about sparkling things, and now I’m thinking. I don’t want anyone to know I’m carrying.”

“Starscream. I don’t know how to tell you this. But after a while, they’re gonna figure it out.”

“Just tell them I’m getting fat! Oh no wait, dear Primus, don’t tell them that.”

“I mean, I can avoid bringing it up if ya want, but we can’t keep it a secret. Well, I guess we could, but you’d have to stay inside for nine months.”

Starscream’s wings shot up. “I have to do this for nine months!”

“Yes. Didn’t you read any of the links I sent you?”

Starscream groaned. “I read all of the links.”

“Well, then, read them again. You gotta understand what yer body is doing so you can properly take care of yerself. What books did you get?”

Starscream squeezed his knees together. He rubbed his forehead. “I don’t want to know what my body is doing, I want it to grow and pop out and be done with it.”

“Well, it don’t happen that quick, sweetspark. I’ll be home in a couple days, we can talk more about it then. I gotta go, but I’ll call ya later, okay?”

Starscream frowned. “Okay.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too.”

As soon as Starscream hung up the phone he fell back into his berth. He looked to the side and imagined a crib. His apartment wasn’t big, but it was big enough for a crib, and a baby bed. If sparkling wanted to have his own room he could visit his sire’s house.

Actually, no, he wouldn’t. No way was Starscream’s sparkling stepping foot in that deathtrap of a house. No. Absolutely not.

Starscream took a data-note out of his subspace and added “death house” to the list of things he wanted to talk about with Wheeljack when he got home. A week after the doctors appointment Wheeljack was pulled away from his carrying partner and back into the world of business.

For three weeks.

Wheeljack kissed him goodbye and made passionate love to him before he left, but that didn’t keep the loneliness away. Wheeljack called every night to chat and wish him goodnight. Whenever Starscream was sitting in the park, bored, he called Wheeljack on the off chance he wasn’t busy.

Starscream wondered what it would be like when the sparkling arrived. If he would have to take off work, or if Wheeljack would be around enough to take care of it during the day all the days Starscream was working. The last thing he wanted to do was leave work. Life was beginning to look normal. He had a nice apartment, and a good job, and a loving partner.

Starscream wrapped his arms around his abdomen.

He wanted to love his sparkling so badly. But there was nothing. He felt nothing. No bond. No connection. Nothing.

Starscream waited an hour then called Wheeljack again.

“What’s up?”

“I’m having those feelings again.”

“Star, read the books. I promise, they will make you feel so much better.”

“It’s part of my spark, I should be feeling something, shouldn’t I?”

“No, not always. That’s not always how it is, and that’s okay, sweetspark. Did you call the therapists we talked about?”

Starscream picked at the bedsheet. “Not yet. I was going to call tomorrow on my day off.”

“Okay, let me know how that goes.”

“Do you have another meeting?”

“Nah, just a dinner with the head of one of my manufacturers. Boring stuff. How was yer day?”

“Uneventful. Stressful. I know I said I didn’t need a vid-screen, but I think I should get one. I am so bored.”

“Why don’t you go to the house and try to work out your space. Give yerself somethin’ ta do.”

“I guess I could. I’ve felt so unmotivated lately.”

“You did say yer meds weren’t working right.”

“Oh my goodness my meds, ugh.” Starscream slapped his hands to his forehead. “I completely forgot.”

“You haven’t been taking them?”

“No, I’ve been taking them. But I’m going to run out soon. That’s why I really need my therapist.”

“I don’t follow.”

“My prison therapist could keep writing my prescription for a certain amount of time, and my time is almost up. If I don’t get a new therapist then I don’t get my meds, and when I don’t have either I go downhill very quickly.”

“We better get on it then. You already ain’t doin’ good because of the sparkling.”

“I need to call those therapists for a while. I’ll start with the ones who can write prescriptions.”

“Keep me updated. I gotta go, but I’ll call ya before bed, alright?”

“Alright. Have a nice dinner.”

Starscream wished for his own nice dinner. He’d been eating himself out of house and home, spending more money on food than anything else. Maybe even rent. He’d even gone over to Wheeljack’s house and raided his kitchen. His cupboards were empty because he’d already eaten all of the food and he was still hungry.

Starscream ignored the ache in his tanks and fell asleep. His body could complain all it wanted, but he wasn’t listening. He was sleeping. Resting. Doing what a responsible carrier should be doing.

In the middle of the night Starscream woke up and puked in his sink.

It was three in the morning, but after brushing his teeth Starscream flew to the 24 hour store. It was nothing but a convenient store with buzzing lights, and stained walls. The worker at the counter scrolled mindlessly through his phone, surrounded by lottery tickets and cigarettes. Starscream grabbed a hand basket. He didn't pay attention to what he was grabbing, if it touched his hand, it went in the basket. He wandered in and out of isles, weaving his way around the store.

When he reached the counter the worker was still on his phone.

Starscream watched as every item went over the scanner. The steady beep...beep....beep, the only conversation between patron and worker. Every once in a while Starscream would catch the worker glancing at him. Neither of them said anything.

Starscream paid and collected his bags.

He and the person behind the counter exchanged a long stare.

“I’m carrying.” Starscream said.

The worker nodded.

* * *

KnockKnockKnock

“Starscream?”

Wheeljack used his own key to let himself in.

“Star?” He called, climbing up the stairs. “You home?”

Starscream was asleep on his front, his wing flapping and twitching in time with his sneer. Wheeljack put the basket on the table and shook Starscream by the wing.

“Starscream. Staaaar-scream.” He sing-songed. “Wake up. The love of your life is home.”

Starscream’s wing flinched up, smacking Wheeljack’s hand away. He grumbled something, gathering the pillow below his head. Wheeljack was not to be deterred.

“Come on, you shouldn’t be sleepin’ on yer stomach anyways.”

Starscream groaned, pushing himself up with his arms so he could roll over. As soon as he was on his back he started to snore.

“Aw look at him. Thing’a beauty,” Wheeljack commented to himself. He knelt down and gave Starscream a kiss on the head. That seemed to stir the beast.

Starscream smiled, wrapping one of his stray arms around Wheeljack’s neck. “Five more minutes.”

“I got somethin’ ta tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I got a gestation tank.”

Starcream’s eyes popped open. “Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

Starscream sat up. “Why?”

Wheeljack shrugged. “Well, I thought it was about time,” his hands wandered to Starscream’s waist. “And I was thinkin’, ya know, maybe, down the line, if we wanted to have another kiddo, I could be the one to carry it.”

A sleepy smile slipped onto Starscream’s lips. “That’s so sweet.” He muttered, leaning down for a brief kiss.

“I always kinda wanted to have a sparkling.” Wheeljack’s hands landed on Starscream’s thighs. “And I thought I’d wanna carry.”

“And I bought condoms.”

Wheeljack chuckled. “I know. You bought condoms.”

“We’re responsible.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

Starscream’s smile dropped. “Oh my god.”

“Oh no, what?”

“You didn’t have a gestation.”

Wheeljack furrowed his brow. “Yes?”

“And I had a spark inhibitor on.”

“Oh, Star-”

“Why am I sparked!?”

“Yer inhibitor failed.”

Starscream gripped Wheeljack’s shoulders. “If I’d spiked you I wouldn’t be sparked.”

“Uh, yeah, sure, you might not have been. But I could have been.”

“But how am I sparked? I had on an inhibitor.”

“Yeah, I looked into that.” Wheeljack took out his datapad. “I sorta had the same question. So I’ve been looking at the diagram of a spark, and I figured it out.”

“Oh my god, you’re going to give me a science lesson.”

“I sure am. You asked. That piece of yer spark chamber that was missing? Same spot they take the metal from to make yer Decepticon badge.”

Starscream looked at the diagram handed to him. Two images, one a Decepticon spark chamber, the other a general map of installing a spark inhibitor. He broke the datapad in two.

“I hate prison doctors.”


	2. Second Trimester

Starscream drew little circles on his belly.

Water dribbled down the tip of his nose and landed on the back of his hand. His toe pedes just barely peeked out from beneath his new figure. Plating reshaped and rearranged to make way for the sparkling. Starscream’s shape was becoming more evident, and yet, he still felt nothing. No trickle of life. No deep seeded connection.

Nothing.

Just a disrupted view of his feet.

“Star?”

Starscream’s wing twitched, splattering water all over the walls and Wheeljack.

Wheeljack wiped off his eyes. “You doin’ okay? You been in here for a while.”

Starscream shrugged. “Just staring at myself.” He turned around. “What time is our appointment?”

“Noon. So we got a little time.”

Starscream’s talons thrummed on the displaced metal. “Do you think I’ll be able to fly when it gets bigger?”

Wheeljack shrugged, placing his hands on Starscream’s waist. “Dunno. You can ask the doctor.”

“Is it the same guy as last time?”

“Far as I know.”

Starscream cringed. “Is it too late to change that?”

“I think the doc can handle mood-” Wheeljack stopped himself. He cleared his throat. “Emotionally distressed carriers.”

“Uh-huh,” Starscream flicked his wing, pelting Wheeljack with a splash of water. “Moody.”

“I never said that.”

Starscream walked past him. “I am not moody.”

“I never said you were.”

Starscream grabbed a towel from one of the holes in the wall. “I think I’m going to take a bath tonight. Would you join me?”

“Yes. I cleared all day today and tomorrow.”

Starscream threw his towel around Wheeljack’s neck and pulled him forward. “It makes me very happy that you do that.”

“I wanna be there for you.” Wheeljack put his hands on Starscream’s hips. “I like spending time with you.”

Starscream barked a laugh. “I really hope so.” He stepped away. “Or you’d get tired of me real quick.”

“Aw, I don’t think so. I’m the tolerant sort.”

Starscream smirked. “Even of moody seekers.”

“Especially moody seekers.”

Starscream cackled as he walked away. “Come on, lover,” He called over his shoulder. “We’ve got a doctor to see.”

The doctor’s office was a train ride away from Wheeljack’s house, and a much further drive. Starscream would have taken the train no problem before his little predicament. Normally he didn’t mind public transport, and being in public, or even people looking at him for that matter. But now it was a different story. Any amount of eyes on him were too many. If he knew anything about carrying bots, he knew that people stared. And even worse, sometimes people tried to start conversations with him.

Dreadful. Completely and utterly dreadful. Starscream would have rather stuck hot pokers in his eyes than get stared at by people on the train.

So they drove and flew. As tempted as Starscream was to fly over the buildings and get to the doctor’s office in half the time, he held back and took the same route as Wheeljack. It was the last he could do, considering how much Wheeljack had already done to accommodate him.

The clock on the wall in the waiting room wasn’t ticking.

As soon as they arrived Starscream stared at the clock as if his glare would intimidate it into not making a sound. Wheeljack picked up one of the stray baby magazines thrown about the little tables. Every once in a while he would nudge Starscream in the arm and show him a crib, or an article on venting exercises.

“So I been thinkin’,” Wheeljack said, his attention still on the magazine. “I was readin’ one of the books you got, and it said it might be a good idea ta do stuff with the sire. Like take birthing classes and stuff.”

Starscream stopped checking his talons and sneered. “Whating classes?”

“They’re called birthing classes. How do you wanna do that by the way?”

“Do what?”

“Give birth.”

Starscream furrowed his brow, still staring at his talons. “What?”

Wheeljack took Starscream’s distracted hand. “Did you read any of the books that you bought? The books you bought with your money, that I offered to buy for you, but you bought, insisting you would read them. Did you read any of those?”

Starscream shook his head. “I just don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, because you didn’t read the books.”

“Can you just tell me, please?”

“Giving birth. Yer gonna have to give birth to the protoform.”

“What? No I don’t. They just cut it out of you, don’t they?”

Wheeljack tried not to smile. He snorted to cover his laugh. “No. Star. They don’t just cut it out.”

“Then how the frag does it get out?”

“It comes out of your valve.”

Starscream’s entire frame flared. “It what!?”

“It’s a hole, it comes outta the only hole we got.”

Starscream gripped his head. “Oh my god. That’s terrible. Who would ever sign up for this!”

“Ey, ey, it’s okay,” Wheeljack grabbed one of the flailing hands. “The doc will go over all of this. Then it’ll all make sense.”

Starscream keened, rubbing the inside of his wrist. He stared at the clock on the wall, searching for some sort of reassurance. Something familiar. Anything that wasn’t what he was going through or going to go through.

Wheeljack placed his hand over Starscream’s restless one and took the wrist for himself. He kissed the first letter of the tattoo and offered Starscream a smile.

“It’ll be okay,” Wheeljack muttered. “We’re in this together, right?”

Starscream placed his hand on Wheeljack’s cheek. “I really hope so.”

The nurse called them into the examination room. Sitting in that room brought all of Starscream’s tension rushing back. This time he paid attention to what the diagrams on the walls were telling him. How the spark got to the body, how the body came out, what the spark looked like compared to the protoform during development.

“I want to do something today,” Starscream said, squeezing Wheeljack’s hand. “I really don’t want to think about this all day.”

Wheeljack itched at his finial. “I was thinkin’ we could sorta do this today,” he proposed. “We really gotta start thinkin’ about our plans.”

“I don’t want any plans. I don’t want to think about it. Today I want to do anything but think about this.”

Wheeljack sighed. “Okay.”

“I just really need this, Wheeljack.”

“I understand.”

“I need this one day to not think about things. Not think about my body, and those books, and all of the people staring at me, and what I’m going to do about work. I just want to do anything but think about all of that. Anything. I don’t care what it is. Let’s go to a movie. I want to go see a movie.”

Wheeljack rubbed the back of Starscream’s hand. “It’s okay, I get it. We can go see a movie.”

Starscream didn’t say anything.

He whispered. “I don’t think any good movies are out right now.”

Transaxle walked in. “Starscream,” he greeted, almost chipper. “How are we doing today?”

“Terrible.”

Wheeljack squeezed his hand. “Starscream.”

“What? I’m not going to lie to the doctor.”

Transaxle only smiled, sitting down in his stool. “Well, at this stage being a little miserable is to be expected. Especially for first time carriers. I imagine you’re feeling a little uncomfortable. We’re gonna try and help you out today, alright? Give you some tips and tricks on how to deal with the discomfort.” Transaxle summoned his light pen. “So I noticed you skipped your last appointment. Any reason for that?”

“I didn’t want to go.”

Transaxle nodded, writing something down. “Okay. And we should be three months along now. How have you been sleeping?”

Starscream shrugged. “Fine, I guess. I don’t like that I can’t sleep on my front.”

“You can sleep in whatever position makes you comfortable.”

Starscream smacked Wheeljack in the arm with the back of his hand. “You told me I couldn’t sleep on my front.”

Wheeljack shrugged. “So I tell you the occasional myth, so sue me.”

Transaxle chuckled. “Don’t worry, it’s pretty common. Today I was hoping we could do all of the things we didn’t get to do on your last visit. Draw blood, discuss birthing plans, what to expect in the months to come. Standard things. And any questions you have for me, of course.”

“I won’t. Let’s just get on with it.”

Starscream got another scan, had his blood drawn, and got to take a look at the protoform rearranging his insides. At the end of the appointment Starscream didn’t have any questions, and walked out before Transaxle could start talking about what he would expect in the coming months.

Starscream just accepted the scan and left. He couldn’t stop staring at the blurry black and white photo, trying his best to find the body in the mess.

“It’s just a stupid looking blob,” he grumbled.

“Aw come on. Don’t call it stupid looking. That’s our baby.”

“I call it how I see it.” Starscream handed the photo to Wheeljack. “You can have it. I don’t want it.”

Wheeljack fiddled with the photo, glancing between it and Starscream. “Star? I think we need to talk.”

Starscream went stiff. Wheeljack sat them down on a bench, keeping Starscream’s hands encased in his own.

“I’m really worried about you,” Wheeljack said. “You seem to be taking this whole thing really hard.”

“I’m not doing that badly.” Starscream muttered, feeling a pressure behind his eyes.

“Star, yer actin’ like yer being tortured. That’s what you act like. You are stressed about your body, and people staring at you, and just the idea of the protoform. It’s been three months and you’ve only gotten worse.”

“Of course I’m stressed. I’ve never done anything like this. I don’t have any idea what to expect.”

“Then asks the doctor questions,” Wheeljack urged. “That’s what he’s there for. To help you.”

Starscream shook his head. “No,” his voice cracked. “I can’t ask the doctor questions.”

“Why not?”

“Because if I ask him questions then it becomes real,” Starscream sobbed. “And I’m not ready for it to be real.”

“If you weren’t ready for this, then why did you take it on?”

“Because, I didn’t expect it to be this way. I didn’t know I’d get bigger and eat all the time and be tired all of the time. And I didn’t know it would last this long and make me feel this bad. I thought I could do it. I’ve been through so much worse I should be able to do something as simple as carry a fragging sparkling!” Starscream’s wings sprung up. He stopped crying. “Wait a minute.” he stood up. “I’ve been through worse than this.”

“I dunno if-”

“Shh. Please. I’m thinking. I’m thinking now. I’m Starscream. I can handle carrying a protoform.” He clenched his fists. “Even if it’s terrible, I can do that. I can do this.” He looked at Wheeljack. “Right? Doesn’t that make sense?”

Wheeljack stood. “So does this mean you’re finally going to read all yer books and start takin’ care’a yerself and take classes with me?"

“Oh, hell no. I’m going to get ice cream.”

Wheeljack sighed, his shoulders slumping. Starscream marched away, his new mission driving him forward.

Wheeljack shrugged. “Well, at least he’s feeling better.”

* * *

“I hate folding towels,” Starscream sang. “I hate folding things. I’m so happy we don’t wear clothes.”

"Do you have to sing that every single time we fold the towels?"

"Yes," Starscream sang. A red garment in a sea of white caught Starscream's optic. He fished out the skimpy piece of fabric and tried to hold it up. "What's this?"

Wheeljack snatched it out of his hand. "Nothing." He said, rolling the cloth into a ball. "Don't worry about that." He tossed it into the basket with the folded towels.

Starscream walked all the way around the folding table to take it out. "Oh come on," he muttered. "It can't be that bad." He played around with the fiddly array of lace and straps. He furrowed his brow at the final product. "I can't even tell what the hell it is."

Wheeljack snatched it out of his hand. "It's lingerie." He threw it back in the basket.

Starscream frowned, grabbing the lingerie out from among the folded towels. "Why do you have this?"

Wheeljack shrugged, paying more attention to the towel he was folding. "I read some stuff. Stuff about tryin' ta make you feel good during this trying time. That was one'a the things."

Starscream held the garment up to himself and frowned. "Really? This?"

Wheeljack turned halfway around. "It's supposed to help you feel sexy."

Starscream scoffed, tossing his would-be gift into the basket. "I already told you-"

"I know. It's supposed to help. So you look at yerself and think "hell yeah, I look hot." Ya know?"

"Then why didn't you give it to me?"

"'Cause I thought that if I did you'd think was was asking for interface and I know you really haven't wanted that lately so I didn't want to make you to feel pressured."

"Is that what you wanted out of it?"

"No. I told you what my original goal was."

"Alright." Starscream bent over and picked the lingerie back up. "Well in that case." He threw the garment over his shoulder. "I think I'll try this on. But if I don't like it you don't get to see it."

As Starscream walked away he heard Wheeljack make a disappointed sound to himself. Starscream rolled his eyes. Maybe he'd be kind.

It took Starscream three tries to figure out how to put the garment on. When he finally got it done, he was left with lacy thighs strung up to the attachment around his waist. Looking at himself didn't make him feel any better. He experienced it the same way he's experienced himself in the mirror on any other occasion.

"You look hot."

Starscream whipped around. "I thought I said you couldn't see it."

Wheeljack stepped further into the washroom. "Only if you didn't like it."

Starscream put his hands on his hips. "Who says I like it."

Wheeljack shrugged. "I like it." He slipped his hand around Starscream waist. "And I think it accentuates your pre-existing sexiness."

"Oh, quit it." Starscream tried to back away, but Wheeljack held tight.

"I tell you how beautiful you look today?"

"Wheeljack-"

"Beautiful and sexy and awesome. Yer awesome."

Starscream chuckled, trying to hide his warm face behind one hand. Wheeljack assaulted his neck and jaw with stray kisses.

Wheeljack traced the strap around Starscream's waist. "I want to take you out tonight. Whataya say? Go anywhere you want."

"I don't know." Starscream took a moment to think about it. "Anywhere?"

"Anywhere. Five star restaurant. The dock. Shopping. A museum. You name it."

Starscream smirked, staring towards the ceiling, considering his options. The smile dropped off his face a second later. He stepped away. "No. I don't want to go out tonight."

Wheeljack's pursued, undeterred. "Come on. It's been so long since I got to take you out."

"Yes, and it will be another six months. So just hold onto all of those nice ideas and I'll see you in six months."

Wheeljack almost laughed at that. "Seriously. Let's go out. We've been stuffed up in this house all week."

Starscream returned to the bedroom. "Maybe I have. But you've been galavanting around to who knows where."

"Vos and Kaon."

"Yes," Starscream rolled his eyes, getting back to work folding towels. "Going to parties and meetings and dinners. Where's my nice dinner?"

Wheeljack furrowed his brow. "I just offered you a nice dinner."

Starscream huffed, throwing down the towel. "Fine. We can go out tonight."

"Wha-"

"Just give me a few minutes to get ready. I'm a mess."

Starscream sauntered into the washroom. Meanwhile, Wheeljack finished folding the towels. That took around ten minutes. He sat down at his desk and did some work for the remaining hour.

When Starscream emerged from the washroom he was clean and polished and waxed and still wearing the lingerie.

"Alright. I'm ready."

Wheeljack pointed at the lace on his legs. "You gonna wear that?"

Starscream flinched, looking down at himself. His hands shot to the clasp. "Oh god, no."

* * *

Starscream had rules. None of which Wheeljack could follow, but he did his best. No public transport was easy. A booth in the back of the restaurant, easy enough. He was rich. He could ask for that.

Don't stare at me. That one was harder.

Don't stare at the bump, now that was impossible.

Starscream was trying to bore holes in Wheeljack's head.

"You're staring."

"No. You're staring."

Starscream sighed. "There are much more interesting things to stare at. My face, for example."

Wheeljack looked up. "You know I love looking at yer face."

"What's so interesting about it, anyways. It doesn't do anything."

"It's just weird to think about. There's a sparkling in there. Isn't that cool?"

Starscream's stared at him dead eyed. "No."

"Well, I think it's cool."

Starscream sighed. "Wheeljack, this isn't helping. I thought taking me out was supposed to make me feel better."

Wheeljack's winglettes perked. His eyes landed on Starscream face. "It is. I am. We are. Isn't this nice? I always liked this place. Who's staring?" Wheeljack shut himself up with his drink.

"You're terrible."

"I'm your terrible."

Starscream snorted a short laugh. "Your jokes aren't funny."

"How many drinks have I had? I'll get funnier, just you wait."

Starscream scoffed. "No you won't. You're a quiet drunk, we all know it."

"What? No I'm not."

"Yes you are. I've seen you. You're the quietest drunk person I've ever met."

Wheeljack shook his head. "No. And you ain't a reliable judge. Last time you saw me drunk you were just as drunk as I was."

"I still remember more of the night than you do."

Wheeljack sucked in a vent as if he were about to argue. He huffed. "Okay, I'll give you that one. But I remember enough. You are an emotional drunk."

Starscream pulled back, placing a dramatic hand on his chest.

"Don't deny it." Wheeljack said, wagging his finger. "You burst out crying."

Starscream talon played with the edge of his glass. "That was different circumstances."

Wheeljack cocked a brow. "Okay, if you're not usually like that, then what are you like?"

Starscream smirked, leaning back in his seat. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"I would. Maybe two years from now we can find out."

Starscream chuckled. "Why two years."

"Uh-" Wheeljack glanced at the bump.

Starscream put his hand over it. "Oh. Right."

"Ya know I've been reading-"

"Of course you have."

"And I think we should get pictures done. You all dolled up with yer bump, lookin' beautiful."

Starscream cringed. He shook his head. "No. No pictures. I don't want any record that this ever happened."

"Yer gonna have a baby. Like a physical small child that came out of you."

"Well besides that."

"I think it would be fun. Carriers do it all the time."

"You're not the one carrying. I don't think it's up to you to dictate what I will and will not enjoy."

Wheeljack's fins flashed. His expression dropped. "Okay." He muttered.

Nobody said anything. Starscream’s wing twitched. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "That was mean. I'm sorry."

“It’s okay-”

“No, Wheeljack, it’s not okay. Just because I’m in a bad mood that doesn’t mean I get to treat you poorly. Don’t take it from me.”

Wheeljack nodded. “I know. But I also know you don’t mean it. That yer not angry at me, yer just snappish in general.”

“Still, if I ever get that way in the house, please just walk away. I hate when the moods get the better of me. It’s not fair to you. You treat me so well and make so many accommodations, you don’t deserve to be snapped at.”

Wheeljack’s hand reached across the table to meet Starscream’s in the middle. “I appreciate that.”

A waiter stepped up to their table. “Are you ready to order?”

Wheeljack ordered the pasta while Starscream ordered three appetizers and four dinners. Wheeljack had stopped questioning over a month ago whether or not Starscream was going to eat everything he had in front of him. At this point, Starscream was going through his entire food supply every day, no matter how much he bought. To combat the incessant appetite, Wheeljack had fully stocked his formerly unstocked kitchen. Normally he only kept what he needed, leaving 95% of the cupboards empty. Now every cupboard was filled to the brink so when Starscream stayed over there was food for him.

“You know what’s annoying?” Starscream said, polishing off his second appetizer. “Even after all of this, I’ll probably still be hungry. Where does it even go? The protoform is only so big.”

Wheeljack drew his lips between his teeth, stopping himself from saying something he’d regret. Instead she shrugged. “Dunno."

Starscream narrowed his eyes. “Wheeljack. What are you not telling me?”

“Nothin’. Not anything I read.”

Starscream rolled his eyes. “Just tell me. I need to learn sometime.”

Wheeljack rolled his head. “Sooo,” his eyes landed on Starscream’s face. “When yer carrying, yer midsection ain’t the only thing that gets bigger. Yer pedes, yer wings. But your armour also gets thicker, ya know, to protect the developing protoform.”

Starscream stared into his drink. “Oh.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. He placed his drink down without taking a sip.

“Have I gotten noticeably bigger?”

Wheeljack shook his head. “I’m not answering that.”

“Oh, come on-”

“Nope. That’s my answer. All you look is beautiful and radiant. And that’s what matters.”

Starscream laughed, running his toe up the side of Wheeljack’s leg. “You’re funny.”

“Told ya I was funny.”

* * *

Starscream groaned.

“Jackie?”

Wheeljack grumbled.

Starscream shook him by the arm. “Jackie,” he whined.

Wheeljack sniffed awake. He grumbled. “What is it, sweetspark?”

A hand slid across Wheeljack’s chest. “I’m hungry.”

“M’kay. Whataya want me ta get ya.”

Starscream mumbled into Wheeljack’s shoulder. “I want soup. And ice cream. And that fizzley sweet stuff.”

“Soda?”

“Yeah.”

“We don’t got ice cream. You ate it all last night.”

Starscream groaned, rolling into his front. “Can you go get some?”

Wheeljack sighed, one eye splitting open. “Okay,” he took a deep vent and willed himself upright. He rubbed his eyes and tried to blink away the early morning blur. “I’ll be back in a few.” He leaned over and gave Starscream a kiss on the side of the head. “Love ya.”

Starscream grumbled a half asleep, “love you,” in return.

Wheeljack dragged himself outside and drove to the closest 24 hour store. Three in the morning didn’t seem like prime-time for the corner store, judging by the way the lights were half lit and the worker sat behind the counter scrolling through his phone. The most common patrons were probably drunks and other party people. The lights on the ceiling buzzed. Their dim glow did nothing to hide the stains on the top of the wall.

Wheeljack grabbed seven gallons of ice cream and an entire pack of soda. He also grabbed supplements which he would encourage Starscream to put into the ice cream and soda because none of that junk food was doing anything for him. Wheeljack had done his best to encourage Starscream to eat more metal rich foods, but unfortunately cravings always won out.

Wheeljack and the worker watched every item go over the scanner. Every once in a while they’d glance at each other, but not a word was shared. Wheeljack paid, collected his bags, and left a generous tip in the jar.

Wheeljack rushed back home. When he arrived he found Starscream sitting in the kitchen with his legs spread. It wasn’t until Wheeljack got closer that he realized Starscream was poking at his valve.

“Does my valve look weird to you?”

Wheeljack put the groceries on the island. “No.”

Starscream tried to bow froward to get a better look. “I can’t bend over to see it.” He put one heel up on the stool and angled his hips forward. “I think it looks weird.”

Wheeljack shrugged. “Looks the same to me.” He took the ice cream out of the bags. “And I’d say I’m a good judge, considering how up close and personal I’ve been with it. Did you look in a mirror?”

“No.”

Wheeljack dropped to his knees and inspected the valve with a quizzical brow. Starscream waited for a response as if he were about to get a real answer. Wheeljack shrugged. He gave the valve a kiss and stood up. “Looks good to me.”

Starscream closed his legs. “You’re biased.”

“You bet I am.”

Starscream put on a smirk that quickly transformed into a pout. “You’re just going to leave me with a kiss?”

“And here I thought you wanted ice cream.”

Starscream spread his legs. “Who says I can’t have both?”

“I don’t see why you can’t.”

Starscream smiled, grabbing one of the gallons off the counter while Wheeljack dropped back to his knees. Starscream threw his legs over Wheeljack’s shoulders to trap his head between them. He threw his head back and consumed the sensation between his legs.

“We really shouldn’t have done this on a stool,” Starscream panted, bracing himself on the counter with one elbow. He moaned into his spoonful of ice cream and rocked into Wheeljack’s eager mouth. Starscream went stiff when an overload hit him. His legs went lax, falling off of Wheeljack’s shoulders.

Starscream hummed. “Thanks.”

Wheeljack stood up. He grabbed a spoon and scooped some ice cream for himself. “Anytime.”

“Do you want me to return the favor?”

“Not if you don’t want to.”

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Wheeljack gave him a kiss on the corner of the mouth. “How's the ice cream?”

“Perfect.” Starscream reached behind him and grabbed a bottle of soda out of the bag. “Will you open this for me, please?”

"Sure." Wheeljack cracked the soda open and handed it back. "Ya know, you shouldn't live off of ice cream and soda."

Starscream rolled his eyes. "Quit worrying. It's 3am I can eat whatever I want."

"That's not how it works, sweetspark."

Starscream ignored him. Wheeljack pouted. He stepped forward.

“Can I talk to the bump?”

Starscream sighed. “Fine.”

Wheeljack smiled wide, bouncing on his heels. He squatted down. He placed a hand on the four month old bump and gave it a kiss. Starscream tried his best not to smile when Wheeljack started cooing at the unborn sparkling, telling him that he was his sire and he loved him and he would teach him how to do all of the fun science experiments. Starscream’s hand unconsciously fell to Wheeljack’s fin and rubbed little circles into it with his thumb.

“He can’t hear you.”

Wheeljack stood up and gave Starscream a kiss. “Not yet. But it makes me feel good.”

“Are you excited to be a sire?”

“Yeah. Kinda surreal.”

Starscream hooked his heel around Wheeljack’s leg and drew him closer. “Just imagine being me. You haven’t seen surreal.”

“Ya know, we should really start thinking of names. Get his room ready, buy a crib, toys-”

“We’re not buying toys.”

“We gotta buy toys.”

“You own the toy company.”

“He doesn’t need that many. He’ll be a newborn. He don’t need many toys. What we really need is a crib. Where is he gonna live?”

Starscream closed up his container of ice cream. “What do you mean?”

“We don’t live together. So where are we gonna put the crib?”

“I thought we’d have one in both houses.”

“Oh, okay. That would work..”

Starscream slipped off the stool. He raised his arms above his head into a stretch. “I don’t think I’m getting back to sleep tonight.” He looked over his shoulder, examining the puddle he’d left on the stool. “I’ll clean that up.”

Wheeljack shook his head. “Nah nah,” he took Starscream by the waist and moved him aside. “You go take care’a yerself. Shower. Sleep. Whatever you need.” He reached up and gave Starscream a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll meet ya up there.”

Starscream didn’t argue. He sauntered upstairs, leaving Wheeljack to clean up the mess they’d made. In the past few months Starscream was finding it increasingly difficult to wash himself. With the extra weight on his chassis and the disruption of his midsection, lifting a leg up or bending down was becoming more of a hassle than it was worth. Starscream settled for cleaning between his legs, his chest, and his arms. Occasionally his face.

After their impromptu intimate session, Starscream was sticky between the legs. He turned on the water and waited for it to get warm before stepping under the spray. His wings twitched against the droplets. He turned around and scrubbed his crotch into the incoming water, doing his best to banish the lubricant. The position was uncomfortable, forcing him to bend his arm awkwardly around his belly. While he was far smaller than other carriers in later stages, he was still in his own way. He abandoned washing after only ten minutes and returned to the bedroom to lay down.

It was four in the morning. His head was heavy and his eyes were sore, but no matter how he tried he couldn’t fall asleep. He stared at the ceiling and slowly let his eyes drift shut.

A weight joined him in the bed.

He stayed a safe distance away, but Starscream didn’t let it stay that way for long. He rolled onto his side with a groan, and reached for whatever his stray hands could find.

“Jackie,” he grumbled.

“What is it, sweetspark?”

Starscream clutched armour. “I can’t sleep.”

“Again?” Wheeljack’s voice was soft. “Come ‘ere.” He gathered Starscream into his arms and held him. “Just try to relax.”

Starscream only went stiff. “I can’t relax.” His voice trembled. He sat up, breaking free on Wheeljack’s arms. “I need something else.”

Wheeljack sighed, throwing his legs off the edge of the bed. He watched as Starscream sat himself in the middle of the floor and stared at the wall.

“I’m so tired.”

“Then come back to bed. At least rest yer body.”

Starscream stood and made his way to the wall. He flicked on the light. “I don’t want to be in the dark.”

“Okay.” Wheeljack got back under the blanket, sitting himself upright against the back of the berth. “Come on. Come back to bed.”

Starscream joined him, crawling under the blanket and attaching himself to Wheeljack’s side and chest. “I’m so uncomfortable,” he grumbled, his cheek pressed to the side of Wheeljack’s chest.

“I know. Yer appointment is in a couple days. We can talk to the doc about helpin’ you feel more comfortable.”

“What time is the appointment?”

“Noon. Like usual.”

Starscream closed his eyes. “Okay.”

“What time do you work tomorrow?”

“Nine.”

“What time do you wanna be up?”

“I dunno. Eight.”

Wheeljack rubbed his shoulder. “Okay, I’ll try to get you up at 8.”

Starscream grumbled a wordless response.

* * *

The clock was ticking again.

“What’s the point of making an appointment if we’re always going to be called in late every single fragging time?”

“I know, sweetspark, it shouldn’t be much longer.”

Starscream growled, clamping his plating down. “Oh frag that stupid clock on the wall!” He roared, flying from his seat. He marched across the room and threw his fist back. Wheeljack made chase.

“No, Star, please don’t damage the doctor’s office!”

But it was too late. The poor unsuspecting clock had been obliterated.

A nuse stepped through the door. “Starscream?”

Starscream whipped around. “It’s about time!”

Wheeljack and Starscream hardly had a moment to converse in the examination room. Transaxle was surprisingly punctual.

“Okay,” he said, taking a seat on his tool. “Wheeljack, Starscream, nice to see you. How are you feeling Starscream?”

“Angry.”

“Well, at least you’re honest. How have you been sleeping?”

“Poorly.”

“Any discomfort?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, we’re going to try and help you out with that today, okay? First a scan.”

Starscream rolled his eyes. Did they really have to take a scan every single time he was there? Didn’t they have more important things to do? It was going to remain the same shapeless stupid looking blob.

Starscream had his blood drawn. Transaxle inspected the new-spark and deemed it healthy. He felt around Starscream’s belly.

Transaxle hummed. He took his hands away and made the chair sit up while he wrote something down. “What sort of diet do you have, Starscream?”

“Anything that’s put in front of me.”

“Hm. I’m assuming a lot of junk food and snacks and sweet things.”

“Maybe. So what?”

Transaxle sat down on his stool. “So I know that you’ve been resistant to talking about your situation, but I think it’s vital that we talk about your health and the health of your protoform.” He shook his head. “Junk food isn’t going to cut it. Your protoform needs metals, as does your armour.”

“I’ve gotten bigger, haven’t I?”

Transaxle nodded. “Yes, you have, but it’s brittle. And your armour is not as strong and thick as it should be at this point. Your frame needs to be strong so that it can support the developing baby, and it’s just not there. You need to start taking care of yourself.”

“I am taking care of myself.” Starscream snapped.

“Starscream, I can tell that you’re not doing everything you should be. You’re hungry all the time, right? No matter how much you eat? Well, that’s because your body isn’t getting all of the metals it needs to sustain both you and baby. You can eat all you want, but your body will continue to beg for food until you give it what it needs.”

Starscream huffed. "Fine. Just give me the pamphlet or whatever you've got."

"This is a conversation for both of you." Transaxle handed over a pamphlet. "Wheeljack, do you bring him food?"

Wheeljack shrugged. "Sometimes. In the middle of the night, mostly."

"Giving into your cravings is not uncommon, and it won't do any harm. But having an entire diet of junk food at this stage isn't helping. For us, junk food has very few metals and nutrients. It's all flavor, weak, soft metals like aluminum. Not ideal for building frames. You need foods with heavy metals. Sentio metalico, titanium, tungsten, and so on."

Starscream sneered. "So I have to live off of that nasty slag? Aren't I suffering enough?"

"You don't have to give up the tasty food, Starscream, don't worry. You just need to integrate more metals into your diet. And there are easy ways to do it. Just mix supplements in with your energon. That should be enough."

Starscream crossed his arms. "Fine."

Transaxle wrote something down. "Good. Now that that's taken care of, I think we should discuss merging. Have you been merging frequently like we discussed?"

"Wasn't much of a discussion." Starscream grumbled.

Wheeljack patted Starscream thigh and answered the question. "He hasn't really been in the mood for any form of intimacy."

"Understandable. I understand you both have very little experience when it comes to merging, but I assure you it's a much different form of intimacy than array intimacy. It can really help you bond with the sparkling before it emerges, and bring you two closer together."

"I'm sure we'll find the time."

Starscream scoffed but didn't say anything. The doctor went over a few more things. Stuff to help Starscream sleep better and recommended supplements. How many times he should refuel a day and what Wheeljack could do to help Starscream feel more comfortable. On the way out they were given the new scan of the protoform.

Starscream stared at the photo, his free hand wrapped around Wheeljack's.

"It's so funny looking." Starscream muttered.

"It's our baby."

Starscream smiled. He leaned over and gave Wheeljack a kiss on the head. "I hope he looks like his sire."

Wheeljack smiled, leaning his head on Starscream’s shoulder.


End file.
